Walter g



(N0 Model.)

W. G. ADAMS.

SPOUT ALARM FOR GRAIN BINS.

No. 456,667. Patented July 28, 1891.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IVALTER G. ADAMS, OF RACINE, IVISCONSIN,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE E. H. PEASE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAMEPLACE.

SPOUT-ALARM FOR GRAIN-BINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,667, dated July 28,1891 I Application filed December 13, 1889. Serial No. 333,570. (Nomodel.)

T at whom it may concern: vided with the usual endless chain ofelevator- Be it known that I, \VALTER G. ADAMS, a buckets or otherelevating device, and D repcitizen of the United States, residing atRaresents a spout running from the top of the cine, in the county ofRacine and State of elevating devices into the bin. The elevat- 5\Visconsimhave invented certain newanduseing devices operate in theusual well-known f ul Improvements in Spout-Alarms for Mills, way tocarry up grain and discharge through Elevators, &c.,which are fully setforth in the the spout into the bin. A further descripfollowingspecification, reference being had tion is unnecessary, as these devicesare comto the accompanying drawings, in which mon and well known; but itoften happens I Figure 1 represents an elevation of an elethat for somereason or other the transfervator-spout and grain-bin embodying myinring of the grain is stopped and the disvention and partially brokenaway; and Fig. charge through the spout ceases. In the or- 2 a plansection of the same, taken on the dinary construction of grain-elevatorssuch broken line a: on, Fig. 1. an occurrence is not readily known. Itvis I5 My invention relates to devices for elevatthe object of myinvention to provide means ing and transferring grain, &c., in mills,elewhereby occurrences of this kind may be at vators, and other likeplaces, the object being once indicated to attendants, though remote toprovide an indicator which will surely give from the bins, and I willnow describe this an alarm when the discharge of grain throughindicating device. A valve E is mounted in 20 the elevator-spout ceasesor when the bin is the spout D a short distance from its mouth,

full or other like conditions. being fastened to a rock-shaft 6,extending I The invention consists in applying a valve across the upperportion of the spout. This to the spout, which is turned by the flow ofvalve, as shown in the spout D, is hung so grain through the spout, butcloses automatias to swing downward and close the spout 25 cally whenthe stream of grain ceases, thereby by its own weight. At the same timeit is setting off an alarm either when the discharge sufficiently lightto be easily turned upward through the spout is stopped or when it bebythe stream of grain discharged through gins, according to thecircumstances of the the spout into the bin without materiallyOilseinterfering with the flow, so that when the 3o Iwill proceed todescribe one mode in which elevator is in operation and grain is beingmy' invention is carried out in a practical discharged through the spoutinto thebin, the way, and will then point out more definitely in valvewill be thrown upinto the position shown the claim the particularimprovements which in Fig. 1 of the drawings and will be held up Ibelieve to be new and wish to secure by as long as'the flow of graincontinues through 3 5 Letters Patent. In this description reference thespout. If, however, the flow of grain will be made to the accompanyingdrawings, ceases the valve will drop as soon as the spout but thesedrawings are only for purposes of is free from grain. On one end of therock illustration, and I have not attempted in them "shaft outside ofthe spout, is a crank-arm e, to show an entire building or the entireeleto which a wire or rod Fis attached and drops 4o vating apparatus ofthe structure, but only downward to the floor, where it is connected somuch as is necessary to an understanding at its other end to a bridge orcircuit-coin of the present improvement, from which any noctor G, whichconsists of a body or block 9, one familiar with structures of the kindto arranged to move up and down vertically, and which this inventionappertains will be able, provided with a pin g,projecting outward on 9 545 readily, to construct and apply the invention. each side thereof.Along the floor or within In the drawings, A represents any floor of thefloor are laid two wires H, one of which a grain-elevator building,mill, or other like is connected with an alarmfor instance, anstructure, and B a grain-bin located on said alarm-bell Iwhich is alsoconnected to an floor. electric battery J, to which one end of the I0050 0 represents a portion of the elevator truck other wire is alsoconnected. These wires at or shaft, which it will be understood isprothe floor are insulated and are not connected.

The insulation is broken, however, for short distances just underneaththe pin g, so that at this point there are small sections h ofuninsulated wire. Now it is evident that when the pin g is let down soas to be brought in contact with the two wires at the points It, theelectric circuit will be completed and the alarm will at once hesounded, but when the pin is lifted from such contact the circuit willbe broken and the alarm is not operated. The arrangement of the parts issuch that when the stream of grain is flowing through the spout and thevalve E is held up, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the bridge G willbe pulled up also and the pin raised from contact with the Wires, andthis relation of the parts will be continued so long as there is adischarge of grain through the spout; but if from any cause whatever theflow of grain through the spout ceases and the valve drops, as alreadydescribed, the bridge drops also, the pin drops into contact with theWires, the circuit is closed, and the alarm is atonce sounded, so thatthe attendant is notified immediately that the discharge of grain intothe bin has ceased.

The device may also be applied in such a way as to indicate when a binor other receptacle is full, and this application I have also shown. Toaccomplish this a spout K, or other discharge device, is let into theextreme upper portion of the bin, so that when the bin is filled up tothis point the grain will begin to flow out through this discharge. Inthis spout is mounted a valve Ii, like the valve E, being attached to arock-shaft Z, which is provided at one end outside of the discharge witha crank-arm Z, and this crank-arm is connected by a rod M or any othersuitable connection to a circuit breaker and closer for a battery andalarm circuit, the same as al ready described; but in this instance therelative position of the crank-arm and the valve is changed, so thatwhen the valve stands in its normal condition, turned down and closingthe discharge-opening, it will elevate the circuit-closer, so that thealarm will not be sounded, but as soon as grain begins to flow throughthis discharge-opening the valve will be raised, as seen in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, thereby turning down the crank-arm, closing the circuit,and sounding the alarm, as already described.

In the drawings and the description thereof above, the rock-shaft of thevalve is arranged in the upper part of the spout. It is evident,however, thatit may be arranged in the lower portion of the spout, ifdesired, so that the spout will be turned downward by the flow of grainand upward to close the passage. In this case of course the arrangementof the crank-arm and the circuit-breaker must be adapted to the positionof the valve, so as to open and close the circuit at the proper time forthe indications, as already mentioned, and

the weight on the crank-arm must be suffieient to turn the valve upwardwhen released from the action of the stream of grain flowing through thepassage in which the valve is lo cated. In case the device is used toindicate that the bin or other receptacle is full, the slight dischargefrom the bin may be conducted to any other receptacle,or in some casesmaybe turned back into the receptacle, and, as already stated, thisdeviceis not intended simply for use in grain-elevators, but in millsand other places where it may be applicable for indications similar tothose already mentioned.

The particular alarm device is also a matter of variation, and the oneshown and de scribed is simply for the purpose of making a completeillustration of an operating device. This alarm may be wholly mechanicalor may be partly electrical. \Vhen the device here shown and describedis used, it will be necessary to cover the exposed portions of the wireto protect it from the dust and dirt which are present in all structureslike those where this improvement is intended to be used. It will beunderstood then that the instances herein given are simply for thepurpose of illustration without regard to the particular constructionand arrangement of the spouts, either for delivery into the bin ordischarge therefrom. These may be constructed and arranged in any waysuitable for the particular purpose and location of the bins or otherreceptacles for grain, &c., and the particular construction andarrangement of these and other parts of the structure as a whole do notconstitute a part of this invention, for they may be modified to suitcircumstances and yet retain the main characteristic of my invention,which is a valve set in a spout or other like device, either fordelivering into a receptacle or discharging therefrom, and adapted to beoperated or moved by the flow of grain through the said passage, so asto operate the alarm to indicate either the cessation of such flow orthe commencement thereof, as the case may be.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent. is

The bin B, in combination with the elevatorspout D, arranged todischarge into said bin, the swinging valve E, attached to the rockshaft6, provided with the crank-arm e, the connecting-rod F, the insulatedwires H II, connected to a battery and alarm-circuit and having sections72 nninsulated, and the circuit breaker and connector G, connected tothe crank-arm e, whereby it is operated by the movement of the valve,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

WALTER G. ADAMS. Witnesses:

CARRIE FEIGEL, A. M. BEST.

IIO

